Each of us struggles with making sense of spirituality based on our experiences with religion. This can be especially confusing during adolescence when conflicting messages are received. As I’m working on the rerelease of my previous novel, To Be Honest, I’m also writing Bekah’s story. She’s a teenager trying to make sense of the hypocrisy she observes in the world around her. Despite being brought up in a Christian home, she has doubts. Bekah’s story is one that I’ve worked on and off over the last 3 years. I feel compelled to tell her story.
Forcing beliefs on people never works. People respond by love and grace, not fear and condemnation. What sticks out to me during the trials of my adolescent years while going to church is the fear. Fear of being condemned as a sinner. Always feeling like I was failing God. I now know the struggles I had finding my place in a confusing world were normal teenage feelings and reactions. During that time however, words were tossed out to me like…that’s the devil, you are possessed, you better get your life right….Jesus is coming back. I was a teenager in the 80s and exposed to hell and damnation sermons along with many teachings on the rapture. Films watched in church of the rapture and people being left behind by Jesus haunted me. Through all of this…Jesus’s message of love was lost. Thank God I found it later in life as an adult.
With everything going in our country today, I fear the message of his love is being drowned out by the fear and anger messages. Forcing someone to accept beliefs does not work. I’m going to end by posting a scripture that I wish someone would have emphasized to my teenage self. I’m not done writing Bekah’s story yet…but I have a feeling she’s going to come out with that message of love. 😊
